Embrace
by girly tomboy
Summary: Okita Sougo didn't know when his urge to annoy and piss off China turned into something more; much more fluttery.


**Anime: Gintama**

**Pairing: Okita Sougo and Kagura**

**Rating: T (Warning for explicit language)**

**Disclaimer: All rights to Gintama belong to the genius Sorachi Hideaki**

Embrace

x

It started out as a game to him. Nothing beat the priceless look on China's face when he found yet another way to push her buttons. Their fights were nothing more than playful banter; yelling insults at each other, punching, kicking, scratching, the accidental mutilations of buildings only to have Hijikata scold him later.

Today was just that day.

They had met by pure coincidence and upon seeing each other, China's expression had quickly warped into one of contempt.

"Oi! What the hell are you doing here, Sadist! You here to pick a fight, huh?!"

"You think too highly of yourself, China. A brat shouldn't speak to her superiors like that."

"Superiors, where? The only thing I see is another stupid brat trying to act grown-up!"

Without batting an eyelash, they simultaneously launched at each other, Kagura's umbrella poised in the air and Sougo's hand on his sword, ready to unsheathe his _katana._

And so began another day of their constant bickering and fighting.

Sougo didn't know when it began when picking a fight with her became almost as high of a priority as killing Hijikata. Maybe it was the fact that despite him being renowned as a prodigy and Shinsengumi's strongest, she had still thrown caution into the wind and had the nerve to pick a fight with him.

And not only that, but she had proven herself equal to, if not stronger than him on multiple occasions (which he still denies, going so far as to blame the weather for his loss that day).

China was an exception; so unlike all of the other, much more submitting girls he had encountered and had bowing at his feet in mere seconds. It delighted him to envision her with a look of utter defeat on her face, when she finally succumbed to him and he had crushed her along with that cheeky attitude of her's.

So when did Sougo start seeking something that was more than just a way to pass time when he fought her? He guessed it must have been around the time when his dear older sister had passed away.

x

_The grey, raining weather of Edo that day perfectly matched Sougo's despondent mood. It had been mere days since his beloved sister had passed, and although the pain didn't hit full force, his heart still ached and at times, memories of her on her deathbed overwhelmed him and he would have to distract himself to prevent from reliving them._

_ It was pure coincidence that he stopped by the local Kabukicho park. He had been given orders by that bastard Hijikata to patrol the Kabuki area and instead paid no heed like usual and ended up wandering around aimlessly._

_ By then, the light shower that covered Edo had drastically gotten heavier and showed no signs of letting up. There were rarely any citizens out and about, for whoever enjoyed being out in this weather was clearly insane. _

_ Speaking of insane, a blob of twirling orange had appeared in Sougo's peripheral, snapping him out of his less than pleasant thoughts. Said blob of orange was attached to a familiar figure whom Sougo soon recognized to be none other than China, spinning around and splashing in the puddles while laughing heartily, umbrella forgotten on the ground and Sadaharu no where to be found. He grimaced at the sight, for she was the last person he wanted to encounter._

_ Realizing that she hadn't noticed him yet, he abruptly turned around to head back. Unfortunately, she had heard his footsteps and had been immediately alerted of his presence. Almost at once she stopped moving and her grin was replaced with a scowl._

_ "Are you sure you're not stalking me, Sadist? How desperate of you. You're dealing with the Queen of Kabukicho here!"_

_ "..."_

_ Seeing as he did not raise to her baits, which was quite unusual, Kagura tried again._

_ "Oi, the hell are you so depressed about? Did someone in your pathetic life die, or somethin'?"_

_ The effect was instantaneous. She saw the sparks that flew when his _katana _grinded against the tip of her umbrella, which she hastily picked up right before he attacked. Sougo's face was obscured and directed toward the ground, but the slight shaking of his shoulders indicated to her how accurate she must have been._

_ "Shut the hell up and fuck off, China. Like you would understand. Do me a favor and run back to that oversized mutt of yours and your shitty pile of sukonbu." There was rage evident in his tone and when he looked at her, his gaze was a mix of contempt, fury, and a suppressed hint of grief and something deeper; less tangible, all of which was directed at her, though she wasn't quite sure about the last one. It was the first time Kagura had witnessed such intensity in his eyes and to be honest, was very shell shocked._

_ So surprised was Kagura that she almost forgot that their weapons had clashed. Regaining her thoughts, she did the only thing her mind was telling her to do, which was to attack back. She tried to sweep Sougo's feet from underneath him, only for him to quickly jump a few feet back. Without missing a beat, they both launched at each other once more, exchanging blows and, in Sougo's case, venting his anger. They continued on like this for hours, at one point abandoning their weapons and resorting to punches and kicks._

_ Only after the rain ceased and the moon was peeking out behind grey clouds did they finally end their fight, both sides too exhausted to even lift up their arms and fighting off the urge to just close their eyes and fall asleep. They were seated on the ground a couple of feet away, facing each other, trying to regain their breath. After bated silence, Kagura moved first, effectively catching Sougo's attention._

_ Slowly, she hoisted herself up and walked towards him, her deceivingly dainty sounding footsteps reverberating throughout the empty park. He eyed her warily, preparing himself for the worst when she stopped before him and knelt down. _

_ Without warning, she gingerly wrapped her arms around him and stayed there only for a little bit, removing herself as suddenly as when she hugged him. It would have been a lie if Sougo thought he didn't miss the unexpected warmth that enveloped him. However, even more shocking were the words that she uttered next._

_ "If I had known you were going to be like this, Sadist, I would have let you won, but this time only." Never, ever in a million years did Sougo expect her to say that, to him of all people._

_ "What are you going on about now, Chi-"_

_ Because there, right in front of Sougo, was Kagura donning the most heart-breakingly, utterly beautiful smile he never knew she was capable of making. Her cerulean eyes, normally fierce and daring, now contained a fragility so rarely shown in them. _

_ They held a sense of grief and indescribable pain and loneliness so not unlike his, yet the only difference was that beneath that layer of depression, there was also a flicker of understanding; like she knew what it felt like to lose a loved one; like she actually empathized with him. (Briefly, for a moment, he wondered what kind of hellish life she had lived to be able to make such an expression on someone like her.)_

_ And abruptly, just like the embrace, that stilled sense of a fragile connection between them had been broken when she turned around, her back towards him, getting ready to leave._

_ "Gin-Chan is going to worry. See ya' later, Sadist." Kagura picked up her signature umbrella and started to walk away. She waved at him without looking back, her retreating figure the only thing he saw until it became nothing more than a wisp of a silhouette._

_ When Sougo was absolutely sure she wasn't in the vicinity anymore, he picked himself up, dusted off his Shinsengumi uniform, sheathed his _katana_, and walked himself back to Headquarters, the distinct feel of her embrace still fresh and lingering in his mind._

X

Both Sougo and Kagura never brought up the subject of what happened that night again. Even if only for a split second, they had indeed showed each other their vulnerability and shoved that night into the recesses of their minds.

But from then on, whenever Sougo was troubled with something, he would willingly seek out Kagura. By challenging her to a fight, whether she was aware of it or not, he was releasing all of his pent up anger and frustration. This habit of his had slowly morphed into routine, and soon enough, he was actually looking forward to fighting her; to revel in the overpowering sensation of clashing with someone equally as strong and to discard any other nuisances that might lead to his defeat.

So of course it came off as annoying to Sougo whenever his heart fluttered hideously when he was near China, or when he would feel an overwhelming sense of glee whenever they clashed again, or when glimpses of him in her embrace flashed in his head briefly. At first, this feeling was so foreign to him that when he found out it was linked to China, he did his absolute best to make it disappear- insulting her, challenging her more often, sometimes even ignoring her altogether.

Yet, as fate would have it, their interaction with each other was inevitable. Today was evident of that, as they had bumped into each other again and had ended up in an all-out brawl.

Sougo watched on as he saw Kagura stand up shakily, obviously affected at how he had defeated her just a moment prior, one of the only times he's ever done so. But when she pouted angrily at him, arms crossed and tongue sticking out and all, he tried to ignore the butterflies he felt flutter in his stomach at how annoyingly adorable she looked.

"You win this time, bastard. But just to let you know, Gin-Chan forgot to restock the rice this morning and I missed breakfast. So don't you dare go around thinking that you actually beat me, stupid Sadist."

At hearing this, his lips formed a small smirk. "Heh, whatever makes you feel better, China. Only an immature brat like you would delude themselves into thinking they actually stood a chance."

"The hell did you just say?! Go shove your insults into your Gorilla of a dad's hairy ass, why don't you?!"

Glaring at him one last time, Kagura proceeded to turn around and started to walk back to the direction of Yorozuya's. After taking a few steps forward, Sougo's familiar hand from behind covered her eyes, stopping her dead in her tracks. Before she could retort, another hand reached up and tilted her chin as far back as it could go, right before a pair of soft lips crashed into her own. Moments later, she felt him biting her bottom lip, eliciting a sharp gasp from her and allowing him entrance, followed by his tongue completely dominating over her's.

After a while, he let go of her, her large pair of cerulean orbs which stared back at him, shocked and dazed. When Kagura finally registered what happened, she squealed and pushed him away before covering her cheeks and diffidently staring at the ground. What he could see of her face was red and flushed, and her ears had also turned into a shade of light pink. She was so cute Sougo had to resist the urge to take her into his arms again and kiss her senseless.

"W-w-why did you do that?!" A stuttering, blushing China was rare, so he wanted to savor this moment while it lasted.

"Consider it my reward since I won. Just be grateful I didn't pin you down and rip off-"

"Gyahhh! Okay, okay, I get it! Just leave me alone, you perverted Sadist!" She desperately yelled, still with her face covered and avoiding his gaze.

Sougo let out a hearty chuckle before turning around and started heading back to his work, which he had abandoned for the sake of duking it out with the self-proclaimed Queen of Kabukicho.

"If I had known this was how you would react, I would have done it a lot sooner. See ya' later, China."

And as he walked away, Kagura thought to herself how ridiculous and idiotic she was, falling for a guy like him.


End file.
